Are there any other game franchises that achieve the level of thematic complexity in world design shown in the original Oddworld games? Genuinely feels like this series has never been surpassed in terms of crafting a wholly original and unique style and setting for a game.
>>750663007The level of personality on display in every aspect of Odyssee and Exoddus' visual presentation is just mindboggling in a way that feels like it's never really been replicated, even by later games in the series.
based Oddworld enjoyer. I've been asking the same thing and seeking something on the same level for a long time but unfortunately can't really find anything on par best I've been able to find is games with decent worldbuilding and/or aesthetic similarities. chances are you'll already be familiar with a lot of them but fuck it. starting with games that are just aesthetically similar, though some of these also fall under having good worldbuilding / design, Planescape and Morrowind for example (the latter is a tad more impressive since it's not pulling a lot of its material from a TTRPG)
>>750663459as for games that have depth in world design, here's a handful I can think of: Fallout (I think this is some of the most impressive out there)Thief Arcanum Pathologic, The Void cop-out answer of sorts but VtMB EYE Divine Cybermancy Grim Fandango BioShock (not a great game but strong design)Ueda's trilogy of games, though they're not explicit in bashing you over the head with any of it
>>750663902anyway, all of the games I listed whether they're aesthetically similar or just standouts in worldbuilding aren't a match for Oddworld it's funny because Oddworld isn't an RPG or anything unlike a lot of these games, it's just a relatively simple cinematic platformer, it's just that it does so much heavy lifting with its world and creature design and such, really a stellar example of show don't tell. probably has a lot to do with them having a film background, and Lorne specifically citing Star Wars and its worldbuilding as a major influence btw if you're not already familiar with it you might wanna check this site out, a treasure trove of content. the interviews with Lorne are particularly interesting: https://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/togg/also outside of vidya if you're dying for more of this stuff, check out Brian Froud's art and his films and stuff (Labyrinth, Dark Crystal), the OW team drew a lot from it alright I'm done talking to myself now
>>750664349Saved! Much appreciated, anon. I can relate and have spent a long time looking for other series that exude this feeling. Seems like very few games run on the same fidelity of underlying logic that something like Oddworld does. I think you're correct in that it was largely the product of Lanning's overambitious plans to launch a multimedia franchise that could straddle film and interactive media. Every visual and narrative piece just seems to fit together intentionally and organically. The world feels very real and lived in, to put it another way. It's a shame you don't see devs swinging for the fences like this anymore and doubly so that Oddworld Inhabitants never achieved even a fraction of what they set out to accomplish with this series
>>750663007Legend of Zelda
>>750663007The Oddworld Inhabitants artbook is a treasure trove of concepts and unrealized ideas, highly worth a look:https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfOddworldInhabitantsTheFirstTenYears19942004/mode/2up
>>750663007*farts*HOHAHAHOHO
I still don't understand how we didn't get more games out of this, there's so many genres that'd make for a good oddworld game. Stranger's wrath is underrated btw
>>750669269Lorne Lanning's a classic ideas guy, very intelligent, creative and forward thinking but lacking in practical implementation. OI had no shortage of great ideas but are infamously bad at getting projects over the finish line
